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Hobnob and Shakespeare
In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob were used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.
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Examples of hobnob in a Sentence
Brad Japhe, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
Donors will be able to hobnob with incoming Cabinet members and attend a black-tie dinner with Vice President-elect JD Vance, according to a schedule reviewed by CBS News.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2025
There are plenty of contrasts — a child from a poor ‘banlieue’ (district) who hobnobs with presidents; an ambassador for global luxury brands who says his favourite food is a ham baguette — but there is also a central thread.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 15 July 2024
For his part, Musk has been busy hobnobbing with heads of state and the future president.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hobnob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobnob. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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hobnob
verb
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